


What Makes a Family

by Llama1412



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Birthday Presents, Families of Choice, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Past Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:27:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25509727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Llama1412/pseuds/Llama1412
Summary: Ciri spends her first birthday since the Fall of Cintra at Kaer Morhen.
Relationships: Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia
Comments: 6
Kudos: 55





	What Makes a Family

**Author's Note:**

  * For [charleybradburies](https://archiveofourown.org/users/charleybradburies/gifts).



> Happy belated birthday, Charley!! I hope you enjoy!

It was hard to care about her birthday when Ciri’s entire world had fallen apart just six months before. Everything had gone so bad so quickly, and even though her situation was slowly improving now that she had found Geralt, it still  _ hurt. _

She had been a princess. Her birthdays had always been huge affairs of state. Ciri didn’t even  _ like _ the fancy banquets, but just thinking about it made pressure build up behind her eyes. Eist had never liked them much either, unless the focus was feasting, fighting, and – well, Ciri wasn’t supposed to have heard the last one, but she’d filed it in the same part of her mind where all of her grandparents’ gross flirting went.

Right now, she’d give anything for one of Eist’s bad jokes and her grandmother’s scoff in response. 

But they were gone. Everyone was gone. Everything she had ever known had fallen in ash and fire and death, and while her grandmother had sworn Ciri would rule Cintra one day, she couldn’t imagine ever going back to where all those horrible things had happened.

She sniffed and rubbed her face. Today wasn’t the day to linger on all that she lost. Ciri wasn’t alone now, even if they weren’t the family she had known. 

Geralt was kind to her, even though he was still awkward. Lambert and Jaskier liked to compete to make her laugh. Eskel had introduced her to all the babies goats he was raising, although even he wasn’t sure how he’d ended up with them. The way Vesemir stroked her hair sometimes brought back faint memories of someone she thought might be her mother, her fingers softer and smaller as they carded through her ashen locks. Yennefer was not at all like her grandmother, yet that innate power and confidence exuded from her and Ciri knew she wanted to be like both of them when she grew up.

They weren’t her family. Not yet. But they  _ could _ be.

That was why Ciri was willing to spend this day with them – her first birthday since her world had ended. Her first birthday with these new people in her life. It probably wasn’t unreasonable to be nervous.

Right?

Ciri bit her lip and hesitated outside the door to the main hall. She had no idea what they had planned for her – Eskel had said that the secret was part of the fun, so Geralt had distracted her with training all morning. Now, clean and dressed and standing outside the party room, Ciri was… well, she didn’t much feel like partying. But she couldn’t disappoint everyone, and she didn’t particularly want to spend the evening crying in her room either.

The door opened before she had a chance to knock, and Geralt stepped out, quickly closing the door behind him.

“Everything okay?” He asked, and Ciri suddenly remembered that Witchers had enhanced senses.

“Yeah,” she swallowed. “I just…” She didn’t know what to say.

“Hmm,” Geralt tilted his head, frowning at her. Then he nodded to himself and reached into the pouch on his belt. He handed her a small package wrapped in soft calfskin hide, and Ciri found herself holding her breath as she unwrapped the leather. Against the offwhite hide, an emerald necklace caught the light and sparkled in its silver setting.

“I wanted to make you a medallion,” Geralt’s low voice wrapped around her like a hug. “But uh,” he cleared his throat, “apparently I am not much of a smith. But I had this stone from your mother.”

Ciri gasped, tears welling in her eyes. “This was my mothers?”

He nodded, “Jaskier’s told you the story of how I claimed the Law of Surprise. Afterwards, your mother had a messenger track me down to deliver the stone. I – I didn’t plan to keep it, at first. But Pavetta’s letter was adamant it was a thank you, not an attempt to buy me. And–” Geralt shrugged, “she went to all the trouble tracking me down. Figured the least I could do was keep it.”

Ciri traced her fingers over the stone, wondering what her mother might have been like with her. If she would make Ciri’s chest feel warm and tight and floaty the way Geralt did when he smiled at her. 

“Thank you,” she murmured, knocking her shoulder into him. His gravely laugh made her feel safe, like she was home. He was definitely part of her family now. “Help me put it on?”

She turned and held her hair out of the way to let Geralt’s surprisingly nimble fingers hook the clasp of the necklace. He patted her shoulders when he was done and his hands were big and warm.

“Ready to head in?” Geralt asked.

Ciri took a deep breath and nodded. Yes, she was ready to spend her first birthday since Cintra had fallen with her new family. She hoped she would spend many more with them, too.


End file.
